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    Labor Days
    Labor Days
    Labor Days
    Ebook112 pages49 minutes

    Labor Days

    By Mario Milosevic

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    About this ebook

    Acclaimed poet and novelist Mario Milosevic offers 100 sharp tales of employment—each exactly 100 words long. Sometimes shocking, sometimes poignant, but always enlightening and entertaining, these narratives bare the souls of laborers doing what they have to do to make a living.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGreen Snake Publishing
    Release dateJul 6, 2015
    ISBN9781513062822
    Labor Days
    Author

    Mario Milosevic

    Mario Milosevic was born in a refugee camp in Italy, grew up in Canada, and holds a degree in philosophy and mathematics from the University of Waterloo. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, fellow writer Kim Antieau. His poems, stories, and novels have appeared in many venues, both print and online.

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      Book preview

      Labor Days - Mario Milosevic

      Also by Mario Milosevic

      Novels

      Claypot Dreamstance

      The Coma Monologues

      The Doctor and the Clown

      Kyle’s War

      The Last Giant

      Terrastina and Mazolli

      Collections

      Entangled Realities (with Kim Antieau)

      Miniatures

      Poetry

      Animal Life

      Fantasy Life

      Love Life

      LABOR DAYS

      MARIO MILOSEVIC

      Published by Green Snake Publishing

      (c) 2015 by Mario Milosevic

      Many of these tales, some in slightly different form, originally appeared on the following blogs:

      www.conditionalreality.blogspot.com

      mariowrites.com

      Thanks to Nancy Milosevic

      Thanks to Lisa Mills Walters

      lisawaltersediting.com

      Cover image: Spanner Wrench Man Photo

      © Ellegant | Dreamstime.com

      for workers everywhere

      This book, being about work, is, by its very nature, about violence—to the spirit as well as to the body.

      —Studs Terkel, Working

      All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.

      —Aristotle, Politics

      THE TATTOOIST’S TALE

      My shift usually starts at nine p.m. and goes to about four or five in the morning. A lot of people, that time of night, they want ink, but they can’t tell you why they want ink. I always give them a few minutes, in case they decide to change their minds. I pretend I’m fiddling with the needles and ink, getting it all ready, but what I’m really doing? I’m giving them room. Do you want my art on your skin until you die? That’s how you have to look at it. You’re nothing but a canvas to me.

      THE PICKPOCKET’S TALE

      No one carries cash anymore. That’s a big problem for me. But I adjusted my expectations. I learned a long time ago that the life I chose had its rewards, but also its disappointments. I’ve snagged lots of things other than money. Phones. Credit cards. Rings. Cough drops. Love notes. Keys. Earbuds. Lighters. Shopping lists. Gum. You get philosophical about the whole thing. If people just leave these things in their pockets, for anyone to steal, then they must not want them anymore. See, I’ve learned a little bit about psychology. I know we all do things for a reason.

      THE MAID’S TALE

      Of course we look at your stuff. Wouldn’t you? Medicine cabinets, for sure, but also fridges, drawers, closets. Everything. We know all about you by the second visit. No secrets. You all put down the same grime in the same places and I clean it up. I like that you tidy up before I get to your house. It’s not necessary, but I’m okay with it. It makes me laugh. Gives me some power, you know? The fact that you’re a little scared of me, a little intimidated by me, well, that’s almost better than getting paid to clean. Almost.

      THE COP’S TALE

      Never shot anyone. Actually, never even used my gun, except once. Stupid thing. I was cleaning it and didn’t take the proper precautions. Shot myself through the hand. Still have the scar. Should have been fired for that, but the chief liked me. I stayed on the job, but I didn’t have the same need to help people after that. Saw everyone as in my way. Strangest thing. Got so I resented every call they sent me on. Figured out I wanted someone to shoot at me, just so I could shoot back. That’s when I quit. Better for everyone.

      THE UMPIRE’S TALE

      The millionaires don’t

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